


Ashita Kuru Hi

by NaiaRequel



Series: Watashi to Waltz wo [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: (past) abusive relationships, Bullying, Disownment, Homophobia, Loan Sharks, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Murder, alternative universe, foul langauge/swearing, infectious disease
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-04 15:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10282361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaiaRequel/pseuds/NaiaRequel
Summary: AU Fic. Axel is a community college student suffering from a disease that has no cure. Roxas is a senior in high school struggling to repay his parents debt to save the life of his older brother. Meeting by coincidence, they remain unaware that their fates are tied together as their time runs out.





	1. Times Moves

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been bouncing around in my head since I listened to the OST to Kobato (so...2011/12 ish?). Something about the whimsical sadness that it creates fits Kingdom Hearts so well... I've finally outlined and planned enough to start writing it out in chapter form, but like my FF8 fic I have going right now, updates will probably be slow. Please bear with me, and enjoy!

 

**Chapter 1: Time Moves...**

 

**(Part I: Time Moves Too Slowly)**

 

 

From somewhere across the room something began to beep. Axel groaned, rolling over in his bed and attempting to cover his ears with his pillow. Caught between the urge to throw something and the rational idea to just get up and make the shrill noise stop, he decided on the latter. Forcing himself up and yawning, he walked over and turned off the alarm clock.

 

_7:00am_

 

Glancing down at the clock once more, Axel shook his head, and sighing, stumbled over to his dresser, grabbed a fresh pair of clothes, and walked into the bathroom to clean up for the day ahead. After showering and dressing he spent the usual three minutes trying to slightly subdue his hair only to fail miserably and give up, not really caring either way. Heading into the living room, he packed up his school books and notepad, glancing at the clock as he finished up.

 

_7:30am_

 

Sighing, he rubbed at the back of his head. _Well, I guess I could tidy up the place a bit..._ A load of dishes, several clean kitchen counters, and a clean living room later, Axel returned his eyes to the clock.

 

 

_7:45am_

 

He frowned. _...not even eight yet...Well, I guess I could go grab some breakfast out._ Liking that idea (and from the sound of it, his stomach as well), Axel slung his school bag onto his shoulder, locked the door to his small apartment, and made his way down the stairs, out of the complex, and into the adjacent alleyway.

 

Shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars lined the streets of Twilight Town and stretched on for several miles into the steep hills. Despite the fact that he was on one of the busiest streets in the city, the sidewalks were bare so early in the morning. It was cold out-- Axel could see his breath quite clearly and rubbed his hands together before jamming them back into his coat pockets. The sun was barely rising in the sky, but the lights inside Angelo's Cafe were already gleaming bright. Taking in one last breath of frigid air, Axel opened the door and stepped inside.

 

Axel wasn't surprised to see three other people sitting at a table so early in the morning. During the peaceful hours at Angelo's (mornings and late afternoons) college students would come to grab some coffee and breakfast and study. Axel knew he probably should as well...if he really cared to study (which he certainly didn't). Not recognizing any of the kids, he instead strolled up to the counter and rang the bell three times.

 

There was a loud resounding CRASH, and then a slightly muted _“Hold on a sec! Coming!”_ There was another CRASH and then a tall woman with long raven-coloured hair and warm brown eyes darted to the cash register, taking a second to adjust her clothes before putting on a smile and looking up.

 

 

“Morning-- welcome to Angelo's! What can I get you-- oh! Axel!” Axel laughed at the frazzled look on the woman's face.

 

“Good morning to you too, Rinoa. Everything alright?”

 

Axel was considered a regular customer at Angelo's, although he didn't stop in as much as he used to. He had first met Rinoa in his sophomore year of high school...four years ago. His eyebrows furrowed. He had been brought to the cafe by...

 

Catching a glint of gold out of the corner of his eye, Axel spun towards the window, heartbeat suddenly drumming through his body. There was nothing there. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a steady breath and turned his attention back to Rinoa, who didn't appear to have noticed anything and was fidgeting with something under the counter. Reappearing, she bit her lower lip worriedly.

 

“My morning employee is running a bit late. Poor boy seems to be struggling lately.” Axel winked.

 

“Need some help then?” Rinoa smiled sheepishly.

 

“Well, if you're not in a rush...” He laughed through the bitterness the words left in his mouth.

 

“I'm never running low on time.” Rinoa beamed.

 

“Great! Let me show you what needs restocking in the back!”

 

Eight large storage boxes moved, one eaten croissant, and one completely drained cup of coffee later, Axel waved goodbye to Rinoa, glancing at the clock on the wall as he made his way to the door.

 

_8:30am_

 

_Perfect._ As he opened the door, before the chill could even hit him, Axel pulled the door back fully as a boy with golden hair burst in at a sprint. Axel raised an eyebrow.  _Well, he certainly isn't here for coffee..._ However, finally feeling like he didn't have time to waste on thoughts, Axel stepped out the door and began the familiar walk to Twilight Community College.

 

**<.......... >**

 

 

Twilight Community College was small-- only a little larger than the high school. The reason for this, of course, was because most kids got into the University a city over, unlike Axel and most of his friends. He preferred it that way too-- less snot-nosed study-holics and more down-to-earth people who weren't afraid to get out and live. It made school just a little more fun...if one could call school 'fun'.

 

His first class was political science. It was, as always, uneventful-bordering-boring.

 

As the class was excused, Axel exited the classroom, blinking heavily from the sudden intake of sunlight. Walking into the outdoor corridor and onto the paved path lined by trees, Axel caught sight of Demyx waving to him, his other friends sitting around the stone bench behind him. Smiling lightly, Axel made his way over, taking a seat between Demyx and Zexion. Xigbar waved from the tree he was leaning against, smoking.

 

“Morning!” Axel chuckled. Despite how upbeat and energized Demyx seemed now, Axel knew the boy was not a morning person-- the imprint of a book-edge on Demyx's forehead clearly revealed how focused he'd been in his first class. Zexion glanced up from the book he was reading to acknowledge his friend's presence, then returned to reading.

 

“Morning guys...where's Lex?”

 

“Soccer meeting,” replied Zexion, not bothering to look up at Axel.

 

“Ahh.”

 

He should have guessed. He and his group of friends were a strange spread of talents and hobbies. Lexaeus was the most athletic and probably the only one of them that _didn't_ mind team work and dealing with others. Lexaeus's best friend, Zexion, was the polar opposite...he was probably one of the most clumsy people Axel had ever met. Too many times Lexaeus had had to pick Zexion up from an expertly executed face-plant (normally caused by Zexion trying to read and walk at the same time). On the other-hand, the quiet, mild-mannered boy had an imagination perfect for writing, and despite rarely using it, a genius's vocabulary as well.

 

Demyx was the typical overly-energetic music kid. He'd been playing guitar since he was ten, but also knew both electric and acoustic bass, drums, and though he was loathe to admit it, flute. When he actually managed to stop talking and get to the playing, he was quite good. He occasionally played at school talent shows and did small gigs for extra cash.

 

Xigbar, though no one would ever guess it, was part of a rich family. His parents owned a large ranch and some woodlands in the countryside, but were always out on business trips, leaving Xigbar to run the place. His favourite hobby was hunting in the meadows around his house. Axel only had to visit once to know Xigbar was a deadly shot, even with only one eye visible (Axel also learned very early on that while he took the pirate jokes about his eyepatch in stride, his friend didn't like talking about or even hearing mentions of his past). Despite his unusual talent, Xigbar was majoring in business. No one was really sure why, though Axel suspected it had something to do with a childhood friend of Xigbar's he'd only met a handful of times.

 

The three of them (because Zexion was focused on reading) talked for a bit, just about the normal stuff: classes, work, plans for the weekend, mutually-disliked people...it all sort of blurred together in Axel's mind.

 

 

_1:30pm_

 

Taking his seat in the philosophy classroom, Demyx sat down in the seat to Axel's right. It was his third class of the day and the only one he had one of his friends in (which was probably for the best considering how they spent most of the class period writing notes to each other and doodling instead of taking notes).

 

Demyx sighed. “Is it just me, or does this class grow more boring each day we have it?” Axel chuckled as he bent over to open his bag.

 

“It's not all _that_ bad. You should have been in my political science class earlier...” Demyx made a sound of disgust as he leaned back in his chair.

 

“Yeah, no thanks.” Axel attempted to control his smirk as he reached into his bag for some paper.

 

“Ow! Fuck...” Pain had shot through his hand. Ripping it out of his bag, he winced as chilling dread spread across his body. Along the top of his hand was a long and nasty paper-cut, blood already gushing out, the sight making Axel's stomach turn. Demyx, confused by his friend's sudden silence looked over, and upon seeing the blood, nearly stood up in surprise.

 

“Shit man!” Realizing how loud he'd been, he quickly lowered his voice. “You gonna be okay?” It was, of course, already too late and half the class was looking over at them. Axel looked down at the crimson leaking from his skin as the classroom seemed to grow smaller around him.

 

 

Standing up abruptly, Axel kept his eyes on the ground.

 

“Yeah. I'll just head out early...take care of this.” Axel forced a smile, hoping it didn't seem as fake as it felt. “I'll see you after, Dem.” Grabbing his stuff, Axel left the room in a hurry amidst whispers and stares.

 

 

_1:45pm_

 

Axel watched as his blood continued to wash down the restroom sink. He avoided turning his gaze to the mirror. It was silly...he wasn't even in the classroom anymore, yet he still felt the gazes of disgust and pity that had followed him out of that room.

 

He closed his eyes. Tried to focus on his breathing, like he'd learned to before. A hand touched his shoulder, and he knew who it was without having to open his eyes and look.

 

“...Dem txt you?” He opened his eyes, looking at Xigbar's reflection in the mirror.

 

“Yeah. You alright?” Axel chuckled sarcastically.

 

“You know I'm not.” Xigbar's expression didn't change, but he moved forward, pulling Axel's wrist so that the hand was no longer under the stream of water.

 

“Yeah. I know.” Frowning, Xigbar reached down into Axel's bag, first handing a pill bottle to him before pulling out a roll of bandage. Looking down at the bottle, Axel reflected briefly that if it had been anyone else that had tried to go through his stuff without asking, he probably would have beat them senseless.

 

Opening the bottle, Axel quickly swallowed two of the large pills as Xigbar bandaged the already-starting-to-bleed-again wound. As he knotted the material, Xigbar looked up at him.

 

“You gonna stick around?” Axel knew Xigbar knew the answer already.

 

“I think I'll head home early.” Reaching down for his bag, he headed to the door. “Tell the others 'sorry' for me?”

 

“Yeah...” As Axel's hand reached for the door handle, Xigbar called out.

 

“Axel.” Axel turned to look.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“It will get better.” Axel sighed.

 

“Right.”

 

_Either way...time moves too slowly._

 

 

 

<..........>

 

Yawning, Axel put down the textbook he had been highlighting and stretched. Looking over at the clock, he frowned.

 

_6:50pm_

 

 _Almost seven…I should probably eat some dinner._ Getting up, Axel made his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Seeing almost bare shelves, he sighed. _Alright, eating out it is…best make myself look semi-presentable to the public._

 

As he flipped on the bathroom light he caught sight of his battle wound from earlier in the day and grimaced. Standing over the sink he peeled off the completely soaked through gauze, and throwing it in the trash, turned on the water, sticking the cut under it.

 

He watched the blood droplets fall with empty eyes, unaware that the hand clenching the counter was shaking with strain. Not for the first time he felt the same as his classmates had earlier…sick and disgusted. And he felt clammy with fear…just not the fear he _should_ be feeling.

 

The clock chimed seven, waking Axel from his solitude. He turned off the water, and opening the medical cabinet, grabbed the gauze and re-wrapped the cut. Going to put the roll back, Axel caught sight of the many orange plastic containers lining the shelves. Frowning, he grabbed one of them, and pouring out two pills, dry-swallowed them, shut off the light, and walked out of the bathroom.

 

Grabbing his keys from the counter, Axel took one last look around, and seeing as the place looked relatively clean, exited, making sure to lock the door behind him.

 

As he stepped into the dark alleyway, he was just trying to decide where to get food when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. A figure appeared within sight, stumbling forward as if drunk. Before Axel could call out, the figure stumbled forward into a patch of moonlight, and Axel’s mouth opened in shock.

 

It was a boy—short, blond, and young. And bloody. Before Axel could say anything, the boy locked eyes with him, and such blue eyes he had, and then passed out cold, falling to the ground in front of Axel like a ragdoll.

 

In those brief seconds their eyes had met, for the first time in five years, Axel did not care what time it was, did not care how others felt about him, or even how felt himself. In those few seconds Axel’s mind had gone blissfully blank,

 

and it was then that he knew things were about to change.

 

 

 

**(Part II: Time Moves Too Quickly)**

 

 

 

 

 

_8am_

 

“Shit!” Throwing his blanket off, Roxas bolted out of bed and into the bathroom, changing and making himself presentable (well, as much as he could with the giant bags under his eyes) in record time. Quickly packing up his school supplies, he threw his backpack on, ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him, and sprinted down the stairs, hitting the road as fast as he could without slipping on the icy street.

 

_I'm late!_

 

Despite his excellent grades and strong work-ethic, Roxas was forced to admit that he'd been running late more than he should have been the past few weeks. And while he tried to firmly believe that he had everything under control, 'everything' seemed to be trying to tell him otherwise.

 

The familiar building of Angelo's Cafe came into sight. As Roxas reached out to throw the door open, it opened without warning, and just barely regaining his balance in time, Roxas, without looking at who had opened it, waved in thanks and hurried to the back, only just getting out a quick “Sorry I'm late!” to Rinoa, the owner and his boss.

 

Rinoa sighed and crossed her arms, but there was a smile on her face still.

 

“I hope you're not trying to make a habit of this Roxas...”

 

Quickly taking his bag off and throwing his apron on, Roxas replied quickly,

 

“I'm really not-- sorry Rinoa...” Taking a brief second to breathe, Roxas went to the back, only to pause, confused at the organized state of the room. Rinoa had followed after him and chuckled at his expression.

 

“Lucky for you I had some extra help this morning, so the hard work is done.”

 

“Oh...” Rinoa smiled.

 

“It's okay, Roxas. For now, just mind the front, okay?” Roxas nodded, still feeling puzzled.

 

 

_...but I'm never lucky..._

 

 

 

<..........>

 

_11:30am_

 

“Hey Roxas! Over here!” Roxas looked up from his watch at the sound of his name. From one of the benches Olette, one of his few close friends, was waving to him. Beside her was Pence and Hayner, his other two close friends. Just seeing them, Roxas felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease.

 

Taking a seat beside them, Roxas turned his gaze to Olette.

 

“How was class?”

 

“Well, other than Hayner earning another detention...”

 

“-Hey!” Pence and Olette laughed, and even Roxas had to chuckle a bit. Hayner himself began to laugh.

 

“Well, it wouldn't be a normal day if Hayner didn't get into _some_ kind of trouble...”

 

“Watch it Pence, or you can buy your own ice cream tomorrow!”

 

Roxas blinked, Pence's words reminding him of how his own day began.

 

“Hey Olette?” Olette turned her gaze to him, smiling.

 

“What is it, Roxas?”

 

“I...got to work late again today, and someone had already moved all the frozen storage.” Olette looked as surprised as Roxas had been. “You didn't stop in early this morning, right?”

 

Olette shook her head. Olette also worked at Angelo's Cafe, but she normally had the evening shift.

 

“I've been here all morning...did you ask Selphie?” Selphie was the afternoon shift who relieved Roxas.

 

“Yeah, I did. She said she hadn't-- that she'd slept in all morning.”

 

“Weird...”

 

A bell chimed in the distance, letting them know to head to class. As Roxas bent down to grab his bag, he, not for the first time, felt eyes on his back. Turning to look over his shoulder however, he saw nothing. Frowning, he hurried after his friends.

 

 

 <..........>

 

_2:30pm_

 

As the bell signaling the end of the school day rang, Roxas began to put his books away, looking up as two hands landed on his desk. Olette stood there smiling, Hayner and Pence arguing about something or other behind her.

 

“Hey Roxas, we're all going to go to the arcade for an hour or two-- want to come?” Roxas tried to ignore the pang of guilt he felt.

 

“I...can't. Sorry guys. I picked up an extra shift at my second job. Maybe next time.” 

 

“Oh...okay then. Well, see you tomorrow!”

 

As Roxas hurried off, he missed the exchanged glances of concern between his friends, the smiles slipping from their faces.

 

 

 <..........>

 

_5pm_

 

“I'm so sorry dear...I simply can't afford it anymore.”

 

Roxas tried to swallow and ignore the knot of anxiety growing in the pit of his stomach as he took in the serious and concerned look of his land-lady.

 

The elderly woman continued “...I know you've been having a hard time lately...perhaps there's a friend's home you can stay in? I'll need you moved out by tonight I'm afraid-- the inspectors need to come by as soon as possible.”

 

His vision spun slightly, but he nodded. “Yeah. I'll just go pack up then.”

 

 

Opening the door to his small apartment, Roxas began to throw his meager amount of belongings into bags, trying not to panic.

 

It was his fault. There was no doubt about it-- he'd paid his rent late for the past four months, and he hadn't even been sure he was going to make this month's payment.

 

Surely there was some place he could go. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized questions would have to be asked. None of his friends knew about his situation, and he knew that if he told them, they'd try to get involved. Shaking, he realized too late as a picture frame slipped from his fingers, crashing to the ground below. He could hear the glass crack.

 

_What am I going to do?_

 

Bending down to pick up the picture, two similar faces with matching smiles stared up at him, forever frozen in a much better time. Smiling brokenly back, Roxas held back tears and shook his head.

 

_There's no time to be worrying. If he was here, he'd chew me out for it._

 

By the time Roxas finished packing his things and cleaning up, a half hour had passed. Carrying his bags, he turned his back to the building that he'd lived in and trudged forward into the street. It wasn't the first time, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

 

 <..........>

 

_6:30pm_

 

 

“...and just where do you think you're going, blondie?”

 

Recognizing the taunting voice far too late, Roxas's vision spun as a fist slammed into his face. As he lost balance a hand grabbed his hair, pulling him roughly up and slamming him into the brick wall of the alleyway. He thought he saw blood on the cement near his feet as he turned his eyes up to gaze at the leering face of his attacker.

 

“Not trying to skip town, are you? The boss wouldn't like that.” Roxas glared daggers at the man, receiving another punch to the face in response. Shaking, Roxas spit out the blood in his mouth onto the man's chest.

 

“I was evicted. I'm moving.” The man laughed as he pulled Roxas away from the wall and kicked him over onto the ground.

 

“Well, bad news just keeps piling up for you, huh? Boss says you have two months left to pay back what you owe. If you want to see your dear brother again, that is.” Giving one last kick to Roxas's ribs, the man turned his back and waved.

 

“Good luck with the moving. We'll be in touch soon.”

 

 

 

Like many times before, the only reason Roxas pulled himself up off the ground was because he knew his brother was waiting for him. Using the wall to steady himself as he stood, he once again hefted his bags onto his shoulders and put one foot in front of the other.

 

As minutes passed however, his vision began to swim in front of him and the ground started to feel unlevel under his feet. For a brief moment he thought he saw deep blue eyes gazing at him-- his brother's eyes-- and then there was blissful nothingness.

 


	2. Living Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel offers to take Roxas in as his roommate, and the two begin to learn and discover new things about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the relatively angst-free chapter. There won't be many...

 

 

**Chapter 2: Living Adjustments**

  

Roxas's hearing came back before the willpower needed to open his eyes. The sound of a faucet gushing water and then being turned off followed by shuffling footsteps alarmed him enough that his eyes opened, peering up at jade green eyes above two small teardrop tattoos and a mess of shockingly red hair. The owner of said red hair barely pulled back in time before their heads could collide as Roxas shot up in surprise, trying not to wince at how sore he was all over.

 

The red head laughed, holding his hands up in a sign of peace.

 

“Hey, relax-- you're safe.” Roxas eyed the room he was in-- what seemed to be a simple and clean living room. There was an open kitchen in one corner, and a hallway that led to three other doors. The room was lit by several lamps. It certainly didn't _seem_ like a prison. Looking down, he realized that the red head had been bandaging him up-- the cuts on his arm (and his face, he realized as he reached up to touch his cheek) were sore, but clean and covered. He turned to look back at the other boy, who was holding out a damp washcloth to him. Gingerly, he took it and placed it against his face, admitting that it did feel refreshing. He turned his attention to the red head.

 

“Um...thanks. But...who are you?” The red head smiled back at him as he put the last of the bandages back in what appeared to be a well-kept emergency kit.

 

“Name's Axel. Got it memorized?” Standing up, Axel walked over to the kitchen to put the kit away, before returning to the seat next to Roxas. “I was just leaving my apartment to go get dinner when you stumbled into me and passed out. You were beat up pretty bad...you get mugged or something?”

 

Roxas bit his lower lip, looking away, one arm going to grip the other, only causing him to wince as he'd forgotten how banged up he was.

 

“I...guess. I can't remember much.” Roxas tried not to dwell on how easy it had become for him to lie. “...I was just leaving a building. I was evicted.” He gasped, shooting up. “Oh, my stuff!” Axel placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down onto the couch gently.

 

“It's in the back room; don't worry.” Roxas looked up at him in surprise, then looked down at his shoes.

 

“...thanks. I guess I really owe you a lot.” Looking back up at Axel, he went to stand up again. “I'll repay you as soon as I can; promise!” Axel laughed as he once again forced the boy to sit down.

 

“Relax. You really shouldn't be up and moving so soon after what happened.” Roxas knew he was right.

 

“I hate to intrude though.”

 

Axel's smile seemed to fade for a moment.

 

“It's no intrusion really. It's just me here right now.” He raised an eyebrow at Roxas. “So...what's your name, anyway?” Roxas gazed into Axel's eyes for a moment, then held out his hand.

 

“I'm Roxas.” Axel chuckled, taking the boy's hand and shaking it.

 

“Nice to meet you Roxas.” Roxas felt a little more relaxed as Axel got up and walked over to the kitchen. “So...you just got evicted, huh? Where were you headed?”

 

The anxiety swarmed back into his chest. The silence was enough to draw Axel's attention from over at the sink. After scanning Roxas's face, he responded more quietly,

 

“...nowhere to go?”

 

“...yeah.” Axel came back over with a glass of water, causing Roxas to realize just how thirsty he actually was. Taking it from Axel's outstretched hand, he quickly downed half of it.

 

Axel sat down beside him, a concerned look on his face.

 

“...how old are you, anyway?”

 

“Seventeen.”

 

“High school then?” Roxas nodded, placing the now empty glass down on the coffee table in front of them.

 

“I'll be graduating in June.” Axel crossed his arms, frowning.

 

“...that's rough man. Not even eighteen and being kicked to the streets.” Roxas nodded, looking down at his hands.

 

“...just couldn't afford it anymore.” Axel raised an eyebrow.

 

“You work?”

 

“Yeah. Two jobs.”

 

There was a first minute of silence between the two of them, both frowning and lost in their own thoughts. They were only shook out of them as the clock on the mantleplace chimed ten.

 

Roxas bit his lower lip. _I should probably see if he doesn't mind me spending the night... I hate to be a burden though, especially since he's already done so much..._ He opened his mouth to speak.

 

“You can stay here.” Roxas tried not to gape.

 

“W-what?” Axel turned to him, somehow managing to look serious even with a small smile on his face.

 

“Here. My place. You can stay here. For as long as you need.” Roxas did gape this time.

 

“What?” Axel laughed.

 

“...I used to have a roommate, but he moved towns a year ago, so I have a guest room and bathroom that isn't being used.”

 

“But-” Axel shook his head.

 

“...I was once in a similar situation, and back then someone also helped me out. So consider this me paying that forward.” Standing up, Axel reached his hand out to Roxas.

 

“So, Roxas, welcome to your new home. Let me show you around.”

 

Speechless, Roxas grabbed Axel's hand.

 

<..........>

 

 

“What?! You asked some kid to move in with you???” Realizing how loud his voice had been, Demyx looked around before sitting back down on the bench, lowering it to a near whisper. “Are you serious man?” Axel sighed, putting down the pencil in his book and rubbing his face tiredly.

 

“He was beat up pretty bad and had nowhere to go-- what did you expect me to do, Dem? Throw him back onto the street?” Demyx pouted.

 

“No, that's not what I meant-”

 

Lexaeus cleared his throat. “I think what Demyx is trying to question, is why you would willingly share your personal space when you value privacy so highly.”

 

Axel crossed his arms, sighing as he turned his face towards the sky. The sun was partially shining through the slightly cloudy sky.

 

“It just...felt like the right thing to do.” Shrugging, Axel stood up and put his book back in his bag. “Anyway, I've gotta go meet Zexion in the library-- see you guys later.”

 

As Axel walked off towards the library, Demyx scratched his head.

 

“...the right thing to do?” Xigbar chuckled from where he was leaning against the table.

 

“Don't hurt yourself there, Dem.” Demyx turned to glare at Xigbar.

 

“Shut up, Xiggy!” Rolling his eyes, Xigbar took a seat besides Lexaeus.

 

“You're too focused on thinking about the Axel in the present.” Xigbar's grin slipped off. “...instead, consider the Axel of the past.”

 

Demyx flinched. “Ah. That makes sense.” Xigbar nodded, the smile returning to his face.

 

“Besides-- no matter what he's willing to admit to, I think it's pretty obvious he misses having a roommate.” Lexaeus nodded.

 

“It will be good for him.” Xigbar sighed, stretching his arms.

 

“I hope so.”

 

 

<..........>

 

 

The first week of living together was an enlightening experience for both Roxas and Axel.

 

 

As Axel stepped through the door Tuesday evening, exhausted after a late night study session, the smell of something burning hit him in the face and the room appeared slightly smokey.Coughing and covering his nose, he yelled out,

 

“Roxas! You here?”

 

 

“I'm in the kitchen!” Making his way over, Axel quickly caught sight of the visibly-upset looking blonde in front of the stove, looking down at a pan of smoking black soot. Axel raised an eyebrow, bending over to inspect the thoroughly burned mess.

 

“...what is it?” Roxas looked up at him with watery eyes, then quickly looking back down.

 

“...well, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. So I tried to cook you dinner.” Axel tried really hard, but in the end couldn't hold back chuckles. Realizing that'd give Roxas the wrong impression, he placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and smiled at the downcast boy.

 

“I'm honored-- really! Thank you.” Placing the pan on the counter, he turned to look at Roxas, who still looked disappointed. “Have you eaten at all?” Roxas shook his head. Axel looked from the clock, back to the boy.

 

“It's already pretty late... How do you feel about pancakes?”

 

 

 

 

 

So it was discovered between the two of them from that day that Axel was an excellent cook, and Roxas couldn't cook to save his life.

 

They also discovered that their routines were fairly different. The first time Axel had wandered into the kitchen to get a glass of water only to find Roxas awake at the table, studying, he'd nearly spilled the glass all over himself in shock, so unused to seeing someone at his table, _especially_ so early in the morning. On the other hand, when Roxas woke up at one in the morning to the sound of gunfire, and in a panic ran into Axel's room only to find the sound was coming from the TV on which Axel was watching the Matrix, Roxas came to the realization that some people actually do stay up for God-forsaken hours to do absolutely nothing.

 

Axel came to realize that somehow despite having two different jobs and attending most of the school day, Roxas was a decent student and achieved oddly high grades. He also didn't seem to have any problem sitting down at odd hours to study. Roxas, however, couldn't say he was surprised to find out Axel struggled in school, had a difficult time sitting down and just studying, and was currently doing so poorly in calculus that even Zexion, his tutor, was having a hard time keeping from pulling his hair in frustration.

 

 

 

 

By Friday evening, Roxas didn't even look up as the door to the apartment opened, Axel strolling in and dropping his bag beside the door, letting out a sigh of relief as he ran a hand through his hair.

 

“How did the exam go?”

 

“You know...I don't really care. You know why?” Roxas looked up from his textbook, eyebrow raised. Axel slammed his hand down on the table, grinning.

 

“...alright, I'll bite. Why?”

 

 

“It's Friday, that's why!” Reaching forward, Axel promptly shut Roxas's book.

 

“Hey!” Axel laughed.

 

“Come on Roxie-- we're going out!” Roxas sighed.

 

“...where?” Axel placed his hands on his hips, smirking.

 

“You'll see when we get there!”

 

 

<..........>

 

 

“Wooooooow!”

 

The sunset stretched before them from the top of the station tower. Axel chuckled beside him.

 

“Beautiful isn't?” Roxas honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd taken time to look at the sunset. He wasn't sure if it'd ever looked so breath-taking to him before. Suddenly his week seemed somewhat small and insignificant. Axel placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Take a seat-- I'll be right back!”

 

A minute later Axel returned, two ice cream bars in hand. Giving one to Roxas, he took a seat beside him.

 

“Here's to the end of another week!” Laughing, Roxas knocked his ice cream against Axel's, like a toast.

 

There was a brief pause as they both ate, then Roxas let curiousity get the better of him.

 

“...so how did you know about this spot anyway? I've always passed by the tower, but never thought about going to the top...” Axel shrugged, smiling.

 

“...well, there was a period of time where I didn't have much to do. So I just went out and explored, and I found this spot.” He turned to gaze at Roxas. “I guess it's _our_ spot now-- you're the first person I've shown.”

 

Suddenly feeling ten degrees hotter in the face, Roxas quickly went back to eating ice cream. Once he no longer felt like he was melting, he smiled.

 

“Thanks Axel. For everything.” The older boy rubbed at the back of his head, looking away.

 

“Well, what are friends for?”

 

Roxas gazed back out at the sunset.

 

_Yeah...friends._

 


	3. Warm Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Axel forgets an important assignment at home, Roxas heads over to the college to hand it off, only to confront some bullies and meet all of Axel's friends. After a run in with another debt collector, Roxas comes across a stash of medicine in Axel's bathroom while looking for bandages. The entire day leaves him with too many questions to count.

**Chapter 3: Warm Hands**

 

Yawning, Roxas stretched as he walked into the apartment, shutting the door with his foot behind him. It wasn't often that a minimum day at his high school would coincide with a day off of work (or rather, a day with no available hours), so when it did manage to happen, Roxas wasted no time in taking advantage of it. Unfortunately his friends were all busy-- Olette had cheer practice, Hayner had to help his mom out with something, and Pence was going to use the afternoon to catch up on some television.

 

_I suppose I could watch some TV. Or try to beat Axel's score on that XBOX game he was bragging about earlier..._ As he walked over to the fridge to grab a snack, his eyes were drawn to a stack of papers sitting on the dining room table.

 

_Uh oh..._

 

The last three days Axel had claimed he'd been losing his sanity as he slaved away over a research paper for one of his classes. Roxas was almost concerned he was going to lose his own sanity having to listen to Axel's non-stop whining, but thankfully Axel's laziness when it came to school work meant that he only had three days to get it done before it was due, instead of the full two weeks they'd been given. How exactly he'd managed to forget the paper at home the day it was due was lost on Roxas.

 

He turned his gaze to the clock hanging on the kitchen wall.

 

_...well, it's only one. I think he has that class at 2:30. I guess I could drop by the college and hand it over to him. At the very least it might mean he'll buy me ice-cream every Friday for a year...._

 

Making up his mind, Roxas grabbed the papers, but them in his bag, and hurried out of the apartment.

 

 

<..........>

 

It only occurred to Roxas once he was inside campus and surrounded by strangers that he didn't know where to look for Axel in the first place. The college wasn't big by average standards, but it was larger and more spread out than the high school. Roxas came to a stop, frowning.

 

_...maybe there's a map somewhere?_

 

Roxas nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt something tap his shoulder. Spinning around, he met the familiar face of the one friend of Axel's he'd met before.

 

“Zexion!”

 

“Hello Roxas. Sorry to startle you.” Although compared to his own friends (and Axel especially) Zexion was fairly quite and mild-mannered, Roxas did admire the boy's study ethic and willingness to help out others with their struggles. The way Axel had described it, Zexion didn't need a job because his tutoring was in such high demand.

 

“No, it's okay! I'm a little lost...” Zexion tilted his head.

 

“...if you don't mind me asking, why are you here at the college? Shouldn't you be in school?” Roxas shook his head.

 

“We had a minimum day, and I noticed Axel left his research paper on the table, so I thought I'd get it to him before his class.” Zexion sighed and shook his head.

 

“Typical. Well, he should be getting out of Philosophy in about five minutes with Demyx. Just head down that hallway to the left-- it's classroom 201C.”

 

“Okay, thanks!”

 

Following his instructions, Roxas headed down the hallway on the left, but stopped short as his ears picked up a nearby conversation coming from three huddled figures on his right.

 

“...can you believe his audacity?” One of the figures appeared to snicker, her oddly shaped blond hair moving as she suppressed her laughter.

 

“It's about as outrageous as his ridiculous red hair.” Roxas bit his lip.

 

_...are they talking about Axel?_

 

“He should be the last one to judge on behavior. After all, _he_ was the one that ran out of the classroom last week just as the professor was about to start class. Pathetic.” The man with dark, braided hair shook his head in obvious disapproval.

 

“Well, it's better than him bleeding everywhere! Eugh, just the thought makes my skin crawl.” The blond chick wrapped her arms around herself, a look of disgust marred by the smirk on her face.

 

The first guy who spoke brushed wavy pink hair behind his shoulder and chuckled. “Honestly, it's a surprise he hasn't passed on his _condition_ to that buffoon who sits next to him. They're both dumb enough-”

 

His right hand curling into a fist was the only warning Roxas had before he blurted out,

 

“Shut up!” The trio turned to look at him, the blond chick and pink-haired guy gazing at him, puzzled, while the dark haired man regarded him in interest. The chick spoke up first.

 

“...who's the kid? And what is he doing here-- he doesn't look like he's out of high school yet!”

 

The dark haired man crossed his arms. “He must know the Invalid.”

 

Roxas glared daggers at the three.

 

“I don't know what your problem is, but I know Axel at least wouldn't talk shit behind people's backs.” The pink-haired guy let out a laugh, stepping towards Roxas with a smirk.

 

“...someone should teach a child like you some manners, hm? Larxene, Xaldin, do you concur?” The chick smirked, also moving closer.

 

“Oh yes.”

 

 

Before Roxas could bring his fists up, there was a flash of red, and suddenly Axel stood in front of him, glaring at the three others. Roxas would have felt slightly relieved, but...

 

_...he's almost like a different person..._ Roxas had never seen Axel look so threatening and furious. Despite the fact that it was aimed at his three would-be attackers, it still left him feeling a little anxious. The normally energetic boy was now silent and dead still, his arms at his sides.

 

“Maluxia, Xaldin, Bitch.” His jade-green eyes narrowed. “I recommend you leave, now. Unless you'd like a repeat of our first meeting.”

 

No one moved for a few silent seconds, until finally Marluxia made a noise of discontent, flipping his hair behind his shoulder. “We needed to get going anyway. But you'd best teach that child some manners.”

 

 

As the three figures retreated down the hall, Axel spun around to look at Roxas, running one of his hands through his hair. He appeared a little less menacing yet Roxas could tell something was still wrong.

 

“...not that I'm not happy to see you Roxy, but what are you doing here?” Dropping his bag, Roxas reached in and handed the paper to Axel.

 

“...you forgot this at home. I didn't want you to get a zero after all that work.” Axel gaped, a flush of embarrassment colouring his pale face.

 

“Oh man...how did I forget that?” Slapping his palm to his forehead, he sighed. “You're a real life-saver, Roxas.” Roxas raised his eyebrow, noting the irony of the words. Axel shook his head.

 

“Anyway, I've got a break before my next class-- want to come meet the gang?”

 

Roxas felt heavy under the weight of all the questions he was holding, but a voice in his head was telling him it wasn't the time to ask. Seeing the shadows still behind Axel's eyes, he had to agree with the voice.

 

“Um, yeah-- sure!”

 

 

 

 

<..........>

 

“Everyone, this is Roxas, my new roommate. Roxas, this is the gang.” Axel motioned to the group of people in front of them. Roxas hoped his eyes didn't look like saucers, because that's how they felt. Not that he was scared or anything, he just hadn't expected to be meeting all of Axel's friends so soon...and all at once. Axel looked down at him and chuckled, gently pushing him forward.

 

“Go on, make friends. I promise they won't bite.” Axel walked over to the tree one of them was leaning against, smoking, and taking the lit cigarette from his hand, walked a little bit away, gazing out at one of the buildings.

 

Roxas hadn't known that Axel smoked. As if reading his mind, Zexion replied quietly from the bench,

 

“...he doesn't often. Normally only when he's under a lot of stress. Give him a few minutes and he'll be okay.”

 

The large-muscled man sitting next to Zexion offered Roxas his hand.

 

“Lexaeus.” Roxas shook the hand and tried not to think about how Lexaeus could probably crush his hand easily. The blond across from him piped up,

 

“And I'm Demyx! Call me Dem though-- everyone else does.” Roxas nodded.

 

“Okay-- nice to meet you, Dem.” Demyx gestured over to the man Axel had taken the cigarette from, who was staring intently at Roxas with his visible left eye.

 

“And the guy who looks like a pirate is Xiggy!” The other man frowned, walked over, and slapped the back of Demyx's head.

 

“My name is Xigbar, not 'Xiggy'.” He gazed down at Roxas, and Roxas tried not to squirm at how intimidating Xigbar appeared. Despite the smirk on his face, the giant scar going across the man's face and the golden tinge to his left eye more so than the eyepatch over his right eye really did make the guy seem like a real-life pirate.

 

“While I am glad to finally meet you in the flesh, kiddo...why are you here?” Before Roxas could reply, Axel was back at his side, sighing as he snuffed out the cigarette in the ash tray on the table.

 

“He was saving my hide. I forgot the research paper on the kitchen table this morning, apparently.” Xigbar laughed and shook his head.

 

As Axel and his friends began to talk, Roxas found his thoughts drifting back to the conversation he'd overheard earlier.

 

_...what did they mean? Did Axel get hurt?_

 

He was brought back to attention by Axel waving a hand in front of his face. “Get lost in there?”

 

Roxas looked around and noticed the others had dispersed. He frowned.

 

“Uh...yeah, I guess I did.” Axel chuckled and patted his shoulder.

 

“Happens to the best of us. I've got to get going to class now-- thanks again for dropping off my paper; I owe you big time. Ice cream is on me this Friday, kay?” Roxas smiled, nodding. “I'll see you at home later.” Waving, Axel walked off towards wherever his next class was located.

 

 

_Well, I guess I'll head back home._

 

 

 

 

Of course, Roxas's plans never seemed to go the way he hoped.

Sliding down the side of the wall and wincing, Roxas reached up to wipe the blood from his split lip that was spilling onto his chin. He was sure the fresh cut on the left side of his face was starting to leak as well, but there was nothing to be done about it at the moment. He glared up at the man standing in front of him, leering down at him with a knife in one hand, pocketing a stash of money with the other.

 

“...that really all you got, kid? That's not nearly enough.” Roxas tried to sit up and winced from the pain in his right side.

 

“...I work two jobs...even though I'm still in school... I take...every available shift there is... That's...all I can make...”

 

The man held up his hands in mocking surrender. “Sorry kid. Even if I felt for your sob story, I still couldn't do anything about it. Just following orders.” The man sighed. “Still...my boss will be coming to pay you a visit soon, from what I hear. You could try to barter with him. Though, from what I hear...he's about as merciless as starving lion.” Laughing, the man turned his back to Roxas, waving.

 

“Keep the money coming kid.”

 

Despite the cuts on his hands, Roxas's hands formed into fists as he watched the man walk away.

 

 

 

_<.......... >_

Stumbling into the apartment, Roxas made his way straight to Axel's bathroom, remembering the emergency kit his roommate had used to patch him up before. Gazing at the clock as he passed by and realizing he didn't have much time before Axel got home, he bit bottom lip in worry, only to yelp in pain for forgetting it'd been split.

 

Axel's bathroom was just slightly more spacious, and oddly enough, very clean and organized. Roxas quickly looked under the sink and dug through all the drawers, but had no luck finding anything to help bandage himself up. Reaching up the medicine cabinet, he pulled it open and froze.

 

At least a dozen orange prescription pill bottles lined the shelves, with the bottom shelf holding bandages and several rolls of gauze.

_“ _He must know the Invalid.”__

Roxas's arm shook as he slowly reached up to pick up one of the orange pill bottles. __...there's so many...is he sick?__

His hand stopped short as he heard the front door open and close and Axel yawn as he dropped his bag to the ground.

 

Roxas had never cleared a room so quick in his life, quickly shutting the medicine cabinet and flipping the light off (hopefully before Axel had noticed it was on). As he stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do, Axel rounded the corner.

 

“Hey Roxas, what do you want to eat for-” Axel's eyes shot open as he took in Roxas's appearance.

“Shit.” Reaching out, Axel grabbed Roxas by the wrist and dragged him into the kitchen, flipping on the lights to get a better look at him. Roxas looked down at his shoes, but Axel placed his hand under his chin, forcing him to look the red-head in the eyes.

“...was it the three from earlier?” He asked in an even, frigid tone. Roxas shook his head quickly.

 

“No! No, it wasn't them.” Axel let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and reaching under the kitchen sink, pulled out the medical kit.

 

“Okay, good. Here, sit on the counter.” Roxas did as he instructed and allowed his roommate to begin patching him up as his mind swirled with confusing questions and images of a deadly-looking Axel and empty pill bottles. Before he realizes what's happening, he's already asked a question.

 

“...why do they hate you so much?” Axel seemed to pause, but didn't look up from the cut he was bandaging.

 

“...they're probably still bitter about the time I beat them up bad in middle school.” Roxas raised an eyebrow in surprise.

 

“You beat them up in middle school?” Axel chuckled a little, although he still avoided Roxas's gaze.

“Yeah. It's how I met Dem, actually. Long story-- maybe he'll tell you sometime if you ask nicely.” Reaching out, he took hold of Roxas's face again, inspecting Roxas's split lip. Roxas suddenly felt like his face was on fire, although he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or something else entirely.

 

“Speaking of my friends, Xigbar wanted to know if you'd be interested in hanging out with us Saturday evening, after your work shift.”

 

Roxas thought back to the group he'd met earlier. While he had been rather intimidated meeting them all at once...he had to admit he was curious about them. They all seemed so different from each other, and from Axel. And...

__...I'm sure one of them at least knows what's going on with Axel...why those three were talking about..._ _

Roxas looked up at Axel.

 

“Okay, sure. I'll go.” Axel smiled, and Roxas found himself admiring the way it made the other boy's eyes light up.

 

“Great! I told you they wouldn't bite!” Roxas chuckled.

 

“I dunno...the one with the eyepatch looked like he wouldn't mind interrogating me over a plank...” Axel laughed.

 

“Trust me, he may have a rough-looking exterior, but on the inside he's a big softie.” Roxas raised his eyebrow.

 

“I'll believe it when I see it.”

  


	4. Cold Eyes

 

**Chapter 4: Cold Eyes**

 

Roxas hadn't known exactly what to expect when imagining where Xigbar lived, but it certainly hadn't been anything like what was in front of him. In fact, walking down the long, dirt road that stretched along the side of some woodlands, Roxas almost thought about calling Axel to make sure he'd gotten the address right. Now, standing at a white gate and gazing out at the giant, white, charming-looking farm house, Roxas had to wonder what kind of person the man with the eyepatch and giant scar was.

 

Curiosity ended up being stronger than concern, and Roxas made his way up to the house and knocked on the front door, albeit hesitantly. A familiar voice from inside called out,

 

“It's open!” Feeling slightly relieved, Roxas opened the door and stepped into the large entryway, marveling at the large pillars and polished wooden floor. Hanging on the walls were several framed photo collages, in which were what Roxas assumed were Xigbar's parents and Xigbar himself, slightly younger yet still sporting the same rugged exterior. Roxas found himself wondering when it was that the man had ended up with the scar on his face.

 

Hearing a familiar rock tune coming from down the hallway, Roxas followed the sound and found himself in a spacious living room, witnessing Demyx and Zexion battling it out over Guitar Hero on a large plasma screen TV. Lexaeus, who was watching from the large sofa, turned to Roxas and nodded in greeting.

 

Zexion let out a sigh as Demyx jumped up, grinning ear to ear.

 

“Awww yeahhhh baby! That's how it's done!” Zexion rolled his eyes.

 

“...of course you're going to win. You actually play guitar.” Demyx laughed.

 

“Playing real guitar is nothing like this Zexion, and you know it!” Spotting Roxas, out of the corner of his eye, Demyx turned and waved.

 

“Hey Roxy! Guess it was you at the door then.” Roxas nodded, then looked around the room.

 

“Where's Axel?” Demyx stretched and yawned.

 

“I think he's still out on the side deck with Xiggy. If you're going to go see them, could you let them know we're getting hungry?” Roxas nodded.

 

“Okay.” As Roxas started walking towards the open glass door that looked like it led out to the side of the house, a loud eruption came from that same direction, making Roxas jump in shock.

 

_Was that a gun shot?! Axel!_ Running forward, Roxas went through the door way, and looking to his left, paused in shock.

 

As Demyx had said, Axel and Xigbar were both standing on the side-deck of the house, both with guns in their hands, laughing and talking about something. Roxas could faintly see that there were targets out in the field in front of them.

 

_Oh._ Roxas hadn't even imagined that Xigbar or Axel were into shooting. However, watching Axel holding the gun and focusing somewhat intensely on the target was... Feeling his face heat up, Roxas shook his head to stop the trail of thought. The movement was apparently noticed out of the corner of Axel's eye however, and lowering the gun he turned to grin.

 

“Hey Roxy! Glad you made it.” Roxas turned his gaze to Xigbar, who had also lowered his gun and was smirking.

 

“I...was a little concerned I went to the wrong place, at first.” Xigbar laughed.

 

“Don't worry about it, kiddo. Everyone's first visit here starts out that way. It was the same for me too.” Before Roxas could ask about what he meant, Xigbar continued, “...Dem and the others still playing Guitar Hero?” Roxas blinked.

 

“Oh! Actually, they finished and Demyx wanted me to tell you they were getting hungry.” Axel chuckled, and putting down the gun turned to Xigbar.

 

“Should I order the pizza then?” Xigbar rolled his eye.

 

“Probably. You know how insufferable Dem gets when he's hungry.” Axel nodded, reaching down to his pocket. He frowned.

 

“...must have left my cell inside. I'll be right back.” Walking towards the door Roxas had come through, he paused briefly to ruffle Roxas's hair, and then disappeared inside the house. Roxas turned his gaze to Xigbar, who had picked up his gun again and was inspecting it with what looked like an obviously trained eye.

 

“So tell me kid; who are you?” Roxas blinked, startled by the strange, straight-forward question. He shrugged.

 

“Just an average high school student, I suppose.” Xigbar chuckled, and Roxas looked up at him in confusion.

 

“Hah. Average my ass. The way I hear it you were half beaten to death when Axel stumbled across you.” Roxas rolled his eyes, frowning.

 

“I stumbled into him. Supposedly. I guess I'm just unlucky.” Xigbar shook his head, regarding Roxas with his left eye. The intensity of that gaze made Roxas want to squirm.

 

“A friend of mine would say you were rather lucky. I've never been a big believer in luck, however. Skill is much more reliable, and I can tell you're a scrapper kiddo-- just from the cut on your face. Takes one to know one.” Roxas wasn't sure whether to take the compliment or remind Xigbar that he had a name and it wasn't 'kiddo'. Instead, he sighed and turned away.

 

“The world isn't a kind place. You have to be able to fight just to get by.” Xigbar seemed to smirk, though it came out somewhat twisted looking-- maybe it was the hardened edge to the other man's face that made it so, Roxas mused.

 

“You two really do share the same philosophy, don't you?”

 

“Axel?”

 

“Yeah.” The name of his roommate, and closest friend, brought back to Roxas's mind the medicine cabinet, full of pill bottles and gauze, and without realizing it, he frowned. _Axel..._ Axel had said at some point the previous week that he and Xigbar were the closest out of their group. _...maybe Xigbar knows what's going on with that..._

 

“You've known Axel the longest, haven't you?” Xigbar chuckled.

 

“Depends on how picky you are on details-- if you count down to the seconds, then Dem beats me by five or so.” Roxas raised an eyebrow. _Demyx? Really?_

 

“But you probably know him the best out of everyone, huh?”

 

“I suppose.”

 

“...can I ask you something?” Xigbar raised an eyebrow at him, his smile fading.

 

“What's eating at you kiddo?”

 

“...Axel. Is he...okay?” Xigbar glanced over at him, his expression no different, but his eye appeared more guarded. _...so there is something then..._

 

“...he seemed fine a minute ago, didn't he? What makes you think otherwise?”

 

Roxas opened his mouth-- closed it. Tried to find the words he wanted to use.

 

“I...was looking for bandages, back when I first got the cut on my face. I looked in the medicine cabinet...and there were a lot of pill bottles. But Axel never seems sick.” Xigbar frowned, turning away from Roxas and gazing out at the field in front of them.

 

“I'm not Axel. It's not my place to talk about his matters.” Roxas, struck with guilt, looked down.

 

“Oh. Sorry.”

 

“However,” Surprised, Roxas turned his gaze back to Xigbar. “...two years ago, Axel went through a really bad period. He didn't survive it without paying a price.” Xigbar turned back to look at him, and Roxas was startled by the seriousness of his expression-- the first time he'd seen Xigbar look or act that way.

 

“Roxas...don't ask Axel about it. Or anyone for that matter. He's still trying to deal with it, in his own way... If it's the right time, he'll tell you about it, but don't push it.”

 

Remembering the faint shadows he'd seen hiding behind the angered red-head's eyes the previous day, he nodded. While he was of course curious, Roxas knew that pushing someone about their secrets wasn't the way to get them to tell you.

 

 

 

As they sat around the living room eating pizza later on, Roxas recalled the conversation he'd had with Axel before, and after quickly swallowing the food in his mouth, turned to Demyx.

 

“Hey Dem, I'm curious about something.” Demyx turned to gaze at him, grinning.

 

“Yeah? What's up?”

 

“Axel briefly mentioned it, but I was wondering...how did you and Axel first meet?”

 

Xigbar laughed loudly as a look of embarrassment crossed Demyx's face as he almost dropped his slice of pizza. Sighing, Demyx placed his plate down on the coffee table and crossed his arms.

 

“Well...it started out like this...”

 

<..........>

 

_It was Axel's first day at Twilight Town Middle School, and if you'd asked him what he was expecting to experience while walking across the quad during break, he probably would have said weird stares or maybe some pointed looks and laughter. Not a full-blown fight. But if Axel knew anything, it was that life tended to be unexpected like that._

 

“ _I failed that exam because of you, dimwit!” A scowling blonde-haired girl shoved a kid with a mullet back against a nearby row of lockers, the boy wincing in apparent pain. He held up his hands palms outward in a sign of surrender._

 

“ _It wasn't my fault you decided to copy off of me! ...anyone with brains knows I don't pay attention.” The boy had clearly meant to say the second half quietly to himself but apparently didn't realize how loud he was._

 

_The blonde girl reeled around. “What did you say?!” The pink-haired pretty boy beside her scoffed._

 

“ _...maybe we should teach him a lesson he'll **have** to pay attention to, hmm Xaldin?” The black-haired boy, Xaldin, scoffed, arms crossed._

 

“ _...if anything, a knock to his head may help him out.”_

 

_Before the pink-haired boy could reach a hand out to grab at the boy with the mullet, Axel had rushed forward, slamming his fist into the boy's face, knocking him to the ground._

 

_The two other attackers jumped back in surprise, the girl biting out a “Who the hell are you?”_

 

_Axel flexed the hand he'd decked the pink-haired boy with. “...the name's Axel. Got it memorized?” He turned to look at the other boy. “...you may want to leave-” Before he could finish his suggestion, the mullet boy had lunged forward, knocking Axel out of the way of what would have been a fist to the face, as the two other attackers started forward at them. There was a rush of air between the two of them as a third person-- an older boy with an eyepatch-- entered the fray._

 

 

_By the time three teachers had gotten to the scene, the three bullies (Xaldin, Larxene, and Marluxia, Axel would find out later on) were nursing broken noses and bruises and Axel and the pirate boy were helping mullet off of the ground where he was moaning in pain._

_Naturally, all six had ended up in detention._

_“...sorry about that guys. I'm Demyx, by the way.” Axel shook his head, holding out his hand to shake Demyx's._

_“Hey, don't apologize. I just can't stand assholes like that.”Axel shook his head. “I'm Axel. Today's my first day in Twilight Town...just moved here.”_

_“...where are you from?” Axel turned to gaze at the older boy in the eyepatch curiously._

_“...Wonewa City.” Eyepatch chuckled, crossing his arms._

_“Twilight Town must be damn near claustrophobic for you then.” He held out his hand. “Name's Xigbar.” Axel shook his hand._

_“Axel.” He shrugged. “It's a bit of a reprieve to be honest.” Demyx looked surprised and Xigbar raised an eyebrow._

_“...oh?”_

_<.......... >_

 

Axel rubbed at the back of his neck, face slightly flushed as the others laughed and Demyx wolfed down his remaining slice of pizza.

 

“...in case you couldn't tell Roxas, I'm not exactly the most well-behaved student ever.” Chuckling, Roxas rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, I gathered as much.”

 

The rest of the evening passed in smiles and laughter as they all shared ridiculous stories from the past. By the time they called it a night, Roxas almost felt like he belonged in the circle of friends.

 

 

<..........>

 

Xigbar held the phone up to his ear with his right hand, left hand already holding a lit cigarette. He gazed out at the sunset, the light seeming almost fragile as night slowly arrived. The dial tone stopped, and a shiver went down his spine as a voice answered the silence, the hint of sleep still present in his tone as he spoke.

 

“ _...you're calling far too early-- how rare.”_

 

“Sorry-- something has come up.” He took in a puff from the cigarette, breathing out slowly. “I...need you to get some info on someone for me.”

 

There was silence, then the sound of someone shifting-- _rolling over in bed most likely_ , Xigbar imagined.

_“...a business call then. How unlike you indeed...must be important.”_ Xigbar sighed, leaning forward against the railing.

 

“Remember the kid I mentioned two nights ago? The one that's living with Axel?”

_“Ah. Roxas, wasn't it?”_

 

“Yeah. Well, it looks like I was right on both accounts. Those two are getting closer, and...”

_“...you believe him to be hiding something?”_

“Without a doubt.” Xigbar frowned, taking another puff. “...he's already catching on to Axel's condition.”

_“You're worried?”_ A pause.

 

“Do you need to know that?” There was a light chuckle from the other end.

_“No, I simply wanted to know. I find knowing something is causing you trouble motivates me to do something about it quicker.”_

Xigbar felt his face flush.

_“Alright. I'll look into the boy. Keep me updated in the meantime.”_

“Of course. Sorry to wake you, again.”

_“...I'm never upset to hear your voice, love.”_ A click, and the call was ended. Xigbar sighed, put his phone down, and closed his eyes tiredly.

_I miss that fool._

 

_ <..........> _

 

_“Axel...”_

_It was dark, but he felt warm; safe even. Cocooned._

_“Axel, you need to wake up.”_

_He frowned. Tried to push his head deeper into the pillow._

_“Axel...”_

_Something didn't feel right. The warmth was disappearing, and the voice was starting to sound familiar. It made fear climb into his throat and choke his words._

_“Axel! Look at me!”_

_He felt his eyelids peeling open against his will._

_Amber orbs stared into his as pain flared through his chest._

“NO!” Axel shot up straight, gasping for air and pushing aside whatever was in his way as he made a beeline to his bathroom, only just managing to slam the door shut behind him before he was on the floor, dry-heaving. His thoughts were a jumbled mess of expletives, frustration, and a gratitude over having an empty stomach. It took him a full minute to realize he heard a voice and a knocking on the bathroom door.

 

“...Axel? Are you...you alright?”

 

Guilt swallowed him as he realized that it was Roxas who must have been shaking him awake. Was probably yelling in my sleep again. Roxas...who he'd just shoved out of the way and shut the door on. He wanted to call out-- explain, or at least apologize. The knocking on the door stopped but Axel's silence continued. He felt frozen, kneeling on the floor with words stuck in his throat.

 

“...okay...well, I've got to get going to work. I'll see you later...”

 

As the sound of Roxas's footsteps faded away, Axel slumped against the door.

_Roxas...I'm sorry..._

_<.......... >_

 

Work was unbearably slow. Or maybe it was because he was unused to late morning-to-early evening shifts. He knew better than to complain however-- he needed the money desperately and there were worse places to spend his Sunday than Angelo's. Still, as he wiped down the counter for the third time, his mind drifted to his unusual morning.

 

He'd been up early to get his homework done since he had such a big work shift when he heard what sounded like whimpering coming from Axel's room. Figuring Axel had done something silly like slammed his finger into his desk or accidentally erased something on his computer, Roxas opened the door to offer assistance, only to discover his roommate (no—friend) having a nightmare, complete with flickering eyelids and tossing and turning.

 

Part of Roxas (perhaps the rational side of him) wanted to shut the door and get back to studying-- that it wasn't any of his business. But the emotional side, the side that brought up how much he himself suffered from nightmares argued otherwise, and in the end he decided to wake Axel. It had seemed like a good idea until Axel had shot up like Roxas was the devil, shoved him backwards into the wall, and barricaded himself in the bathroom without a word.

 

Roxas was jarred out of the memory by a hand landing on his shoulder.

 

“I don't think the counter has ever shone so brightly Roxas.” Rinoa's laughter tinkled lightly in the nearly empty cafe. “Sorry it's so boring today-- most Sundays are.”

 

Roxas laughed lightly, shaking his head. “It's fine-- I need the hours.” Rinoa sighed, leaning against the counter beside him.

 

“Still; wouldn't you rather be out doing something? Or hanging out with your parents at home? Between school and work, they must not see you much.”

 

“...I wouldn't know. They were in a car crash when I was young...they didn't make it.” Rinoa seemed to flinch, and when Roxas looked over she was gazing at the ground.

 

“I'm sorry...that was insensitive of me...”

 

Roxas shook his head. “No, it's okay...you didn't know.” the bell above the door chimed and both of them looked up, only for both of them to blurt out,

 

“Axel!”

 

The redhead laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Hi guys-- things slow here?” Rinoa sighed.

 

“You know how it is. Anyway, what brings you here? And how do you know Roxas?” She gazed over at the part-timer. Axel walked over and leaned against the counter.

 

“He's my new roomie.” An imaginary light-bulb seemed to flicker on above Rinoa's head.

 

“Oh, that's right! I forgot he left.” Axel sighed dramatically.

 

“He'd be _wounded_ to hear that you forgot about him...”

 

“I didn't _forget_ about him! Not exactly...” Roxas's gaze flew between the two of them.

 

“...huh?”

 

Rinoa laughed. “Sorry Roxas. You see, Axel and his previous roommate used to work for me too!” Before Roxas could ask more about it, Axel cut in.

 

“Actually Rinoa, is there any chance I can get you to let Roxas free a couple minutes early?” Rinoa nodded.

 

“Sure! Honestly, I was worried he was being bored to death...” She turned to gaze at Roxas. “Don't worry about it, okay? Go have some fun!”

 

“Okay...thanks.” A smile graced his face just as Axel grabbed his wrist to drag him out.

 

“Hey! Where are we going?” Axel laughed.

 

“You'll see soon enough!”

 

<..........>

 

Darkness was just beginning to appear on the horizon as the sun sunk in the distance. It was silence between them as they licked at their ice-cream, staring out at the sunset in front of them. As a train whistle sounded in the distance, Axel cleared his throat, and turning to Roxas, spoke.

 

“Hey man...about this morning. I just wanted to apologize. I was...rude. Sorry about that.” Axel rubbed at the back of his head, a quirk Roxas realized by now meant that the other boy was feeling awkward and embarrassed. Roxas chuckled, and a faint blush appeared behind the tattoos on Axel's cheeks.

 

“It's okay, I understand.” Axel seemed to relax a bit, so Roxas continued, “...do you have a lot of nightmares?” Axel half-frowned, looking back out at the setting sun and sighed.

 

“...less than I used to. But probably more than a normal person would have, yeah.” Roxas turned his gaze to his melting ice-cream in his hands.

 

“Me too.” Axel looked up at him, surprise written on his face.

 

“You do? What of?” Seeing the grimace on Roxas's face, he winced. “Sorry, didn't think before I asked. You don't have to answer.”

 

Silence. Axel gazed down at the train leaving the station, heading off into the distance.

 

“The evening my parents died.” Axel's eyes widened. _...so that's why he was alone..._ Axel's mouth opened, the question on his lips, but he quickly closed it. Not before Roxas had seen though.

 

“No, it's okay. I don't mind.” Axel gazed at Roxas as the boy continued to speak. “...we were all in the car together. I think we were headed to the beach. A truck pulled in front of us from a side street without warning...they didn't have enough time to swerve out of the way.” Roxas looked down at his hands that were starting to appear blurry. “I blacked out. The police told us later that...it was instantaneous for the two of them. I...still dream of being back there...in that car.”

 

“Roxas...” Axel started to reach out without thinking about it, to wipe away the water on the other boy's face, but for some reason he froze, his gaze glued to his friend's face. He didn't seem so bad on the outside, but Axel was positive that if those blue eyes were gazing at him, they'd be darkened with pain and loss. “I'm so sorry.”

 

Roxas reached up, touching the tears he hadn't realized he'd been crying. Wiping them off his face quickly, he replied “...don't be. You weren't driving the truck.”

 

“Still...”

 

Roxas shook his head. “It's in the past.” Axel nodded, not taking his eyes off of Roxas.

 

“It's getting late. We should head back.” Axel stood up, reaching his hand out to Roxas to take.

 

As Roxas stood up and turned, he wasn't quite sure what happened, but before he could even realize it, he was falling backwards. Axel's hand shot out, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him with alarming force forward until Roxas collided with Axel's chest, the other boy's arms now holding on to him tightly. Despite the fact that Roxas had almost fallen off the station tower and plunged to his death, he felt oddly warm and comfortable in Axel's arms. Too warm-- his face felt flushed. _Axel..._ The other boy wasn't looking down at him, but was gazing out at the darkening sky until Roxas started to chuckle, then laugh, his chest shaking from it. Axel looked down, one eyebrow raised but a smile on his face.

 

“You almost died a few seconds ago! What's with the laughter?”

 

“That's just it!” Roxas looked up at him, grinning. “...you realize you've saved my life twice now?” Looking down at the boy's face, Axel couldn't help but chuckle as well.

 

“So where's my medal, huh?”

 

 

 

_Later in the evening, Axel saw that Roxas's light was still on in his room. When knocking didn't get an answer, he walked in quietly, only to chuckle upon finding Roxas sound asleep on top of a mess of cut paper scraps and markers. Next to his head was a cardboard cut-out of a medal coloured gold with the words “life saver” scrawled across it._

_Maybe it hadn't been such a bad day after all._

 


End file.
